How It's Built

From the {{widget type="advdescription/product" product_id=23787 data="bar_tensile_strength"}} steel to the distinctive dual knurl marks and four separate coating options, every detail of the Ohio Bar is held to the absolute highest standard—as you can see in the step-by-step process below.

1New 190,000 PSISteel

This steel is manufactured in the US and has proven to be one of the best steel variants for a multi-purpose barbell.

Each barbell shaft is ground and polished prior to machining which allows the bar to have a very smooth finish post any black oxide, zinc or chrome finish.

2Machining

Each bar shaft is machined on new Haas machines that are built in the US. A great deal of pride is built into each bar as the knurling process is an art. We spent months working on the knurl we believe to be the best for the Ohio Bar.

To test the knurl it is more a beer tasting process than exact measurement. There is a look and feel that go into testing every bar.

3Fit and Finish

Bright Zinc and Black Zinc is a medium oxidization protectant process. This type of steel treatment requires minimal maintenance and is used on The Rogue and Bella Bars.

4Assembly

The Ohio Bar is assembled with bronze bushings which act as bearing surfaces between the bar sleeve and bar shaft. This is a very robust way of building a barbell.

Each bar will come with an Ohio Bar card that has the initials of the Rogue team member that built the bar.

5Performance

This bar will have normal “whip” during Olympic weightlifting and enough stiffness to hold for heavy powerlifting. The steel in this bar is proven as an excellent choice for weightlifters.

6Fast Rogue Shipping

Rogue prides itself on fast, professional shipping. Your bar will be packaged safely and ship fast. You can follow the progress of your order using the Rogue Shipping Tracker.

Each Rogue Ohio Bar is machined and assembled in Columbus, Ohio, and includes a lifetime guarantee against bending*.

The bushing sleeves on the Ohio Bar promise a reliable spin, and their snap ring design maintains optimal stability throughout any type of weightlifting regimen-- from basic high school or collegiate strength training programs to intense Crossfit workouts.

Ohio Bar Coating Options You can select one of the following available coatings from the sidebar:

*Warranty against bending does not cover any bar which has been damaged due to negligent or faulty use, alteration, maintenance, storage or handling by the user. Negligent or faulty use includes abusive dropping of the bar (i.e., dropping the bar on a box, bench, spotter arms or pins in a power rack, excessive dropping with insufficient or damaged bumpers, or excessive dropping with iron plates, and similar usage). Any specific issues regarding a Rogue product with which a customer is not satisfied will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. We have found that most problems with bars we replace are related to abusive use rather than manufacturing or materials issues.

F Scale™
The F Scale™ is a durability scale for barbells based on functional testing at stresses similar to what barbells experience when being dropped from overhead. Bars that have been treated with Rogue Work Hardening (RWH™) are designated by having an R in their F Rating™. For more information on F Scale™ click here.

Oxidation Rate
The resistance of a barbell to oxidation depends on the type of steel and the coating. Barbells at the lower end of the spectrum will require more care and maintenance to preserve their appearance than barbells at the upper end of the spectrum.

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Thomako from
Just Buy It!I was the ideal "first time" customer, with no knowledge or experience when it came to putchasing/choosing a bar. If you're like me, I HIGHLY recommend the Ohio Bar. The grip feels completely natural, it's the perfect width and it is perfectly coarse. It feels completely smooth during olympic lifts and makes that satisfying sound when you know you've whipped the bar just right.
I ordered the bar midday and received it in less than 24 hours, furthermore it was packaged with extreme care (Long tube, styrofoam spacers, metal end caps, secured with metal staples).
If you're unsure/hesitant look no further. Just add it to your cart and thank me later!

Date published: 2015-01-17

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Cory from
Great Bar!Very good bar. The only complaint I have is how easily the zinc comes off of the sleeves of the bar. Does it effect the performance of the bar? Not at all. It is sincerely just a picky item and not a big deal. it is worth mentioning however as this was the reason I got the Ohio Bar rather than the Rogue 2.0 bar. I wanted the all black look. Knowing what I know now, I probably would have gotten he new Rogue bar 2.0 only because if the zinc was going to come off of the bar, I would have gotten sleeves that were not all black... still a FANTASTIC BAR with this being the ONLY MINOR issue.

Date published: 2014-08-04

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Strength from
Great BarI am the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at a college in Missouri. I purchased 8 of these bars [zinc-black on black] about a month ago and have been very happy with them so far. They get a TON of use [450 athletes, lifting 3-5 times per week] by some very strong, explosive athletes. Being a former competitive weightlifter, I was slightly hesitant about purchasing something I had not personally used. Rogue provided excellent customer service, and a high quality product. I am very happy with them, and will be purchasing more products from them in the future.

Date published: 2014-11-03

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Royale from
Great bar but....I love my Ohio bar. The build quality is incredible. I dabble in Olympic lifts but mainly stick to the big three. I am writing this to comment that in retrospect, I should have bought the Ohio Power bar. The amount of whip makes the bar shaky when I bench. Even at only 225lbs and especially when doing reps. If you're sticking to the squat, bench and deadlift get the Ohio Power bar. Otherwise a great piece of equipment. Hope this will help when you're choosing what bar to get.

Date published: 2016-01-17

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ewalsh from
Outstanding BarBought this bar a couple weeks ago and couldn't wait to get started with it. Never had a good barbell always used the cheap ones from the local sports store. This bar has been great. Good grip. Great rotation. Only downside kind of, is it scratches very easily. All that means to me is it shows the work you put in. Not a big deal to me. If you want your bar to stay clean get the silver sleeves, as mine are black and streaked up from the weeks of work it has. Great bar just not super sexy cosmetically if that's what you wanted with the murder black.

Date published: 2015-06-02

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Mike23 from
Nice Bar - Grooved SleevesLet me start off by saying this is a well-built bar that exudes quality.
Just be aware ALL Rogue bars have grooved sleeves to help prevent plates from sliding off. This is great if you're using plates with stainless steel sleeves, not so great if you're using this bar with iron plates. The grooves acted like a file against my iron plates, leaving shards of metal behind. It would have been nice if Rogue mentioned this in their product description since the pictures make the sleeves look smooth.

Date published: 2017-12-26

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Jarvis from
Amazing!I have had this bar for a week now and after using it the first time I was so surprised at what a difference it made. I've used generic bars at the gym for so long I didn't know what I was missing out on haha. It's amazing what a difference a quality bar makes. I went with the black/black zinc and love it. A lot of people are saying the black scratches off the sleeves as soon as you put a plate on, but I wouldn't necessarily say that. It does alter a little on the sleeves, but still looks great and definitely doesn't scratch off! So glad I went with the Ohio bar.

Date published: 2016-01-19

Rated 3 out of
5 by
Onelongboarder from
Love the bar started to rust immediatelyI purchased a black oxide Ohio Bar and it was delivered less than a month ago.
Functionally the bar has a great feel, good spin, and good whip. I love using it.
That said, it is already showing rust. The black oxide coating is the least rust resistant according to Rogue support. Be aware that the cool look it has is extremely short lived and then you need to do weekly maintenance on it. I had it a month and had used it maybe five times before I felt and saw the rust spots.
I still would recommend this bar I would just recommend going with the less expensive zinc coating or with one of the more expensive coatings. The ohio bar is going to work awesomely but be super ugly after a few years and require LOTS of maintenance.